TEXAS — Oscar Alejandro Escamilla Alanis can be described with one word — artist. It’s who he is through many different avenues.
“I never really wanted to do it until my teacher led me to them, so I was illegal at the time. I didn’t have papers or anything,” Alanis said. “It was like, ‘You should do art...' You are good at it type of stuff.”
Alanis says it can be difficult to make it as an artist, but he believes he has to clear more obstacles, especially given the impact of the Trump administration.
“I mean everything felt so insecure. Everything felt like it was tumbling down. Everything that I had built for the last three years... was gone,” Alanis said.
Alanis is a DACA recipient and says the uncertainty grew worse during the pandemic when he lost his job.
“It was horrible. It was probably the toughest time of my life, obviously. My friends are getting those stimulus checks. They are all making that money. They are applying for unemployment,” Alanis said.
However, Alanis’ unemployment application was declined and he didn’t have access to the stimulus checks because of his immigration status. He admitted he went through a bit of a depression because he didn’t know how he would fund his dreams.
“If you don’t have money, you can’t get that friend to want your pictures to be published somewhere, that editor or that press release that you were looking for,” Alanis said.
Alanis heard some promising news from the White House when President Joe Biden’s administration announced it would allow undocumented students to have access to the pandemic relief fund.
“The stimulus can help me with the rent, or just that month’s food, or gas,” Alanis added.
Or he can use it to pay the $500 fee to renew his DACA. But Oscar says whatever he uses his stimulus money for, it’s going to allow him to focus on his art and take it to the next level.